My seedlings are far too Spindly..

[murihikukid]

Hi..I bet this has been covered so could anybody please direct me to a post ...My seeds that I have propagated have always been very spindly and it amazes me how small plants in the shops have such thick stems so there must be a method for this...I have 40 seeds propagating now in a self watering propagator(Perosene) ...they are just appearing from the mix so I presume they are not far away from the crucial period of growth..As I understand it is temperature related ...At this stage they are under lights and have appeared far quicker than ever before even though I thought the seed raising mix looked like crushed coal??? ...
Thanks Ron

[Cole_Robbie]

Inadequate light is the most common culprit. If you are using fluorescent lights, they need to be as close as they can get without touching the plant. It takes a lot of adjusting as the plants grow.

I don't know about NZ, but here in the US a lot of plants sold at big stores have been treated with a growth regulator, which is what makes them look so stout. It's just for looks and likely has a negative effect on the plant's overall health.

[Father'sDaughter]

While inadequate light, as Cole_Robbie says, is the most common culprit, I think too high of a temperature and not putting a fan on them for a few hours a day at least can also contribute to spindliness.

[sjamesNorway]

I'm a little confused. You started this thread in October?

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...cold+treatment

The cold treatment works well for me. Lights close to the seedlings and a fan are good advice as well.


Steve

[murihikukid]

Originally Posted by sjamesNorway

I'm a little confused. You started this thread in October?

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...cold+treatment

The cold treatment works well for me. Lights close to the seedlings and a fan are good advice as well.


Steve

Hi Sorry about that ...I have a memory problem ..What else can I say except unfortunately its getting worse...probably caused by old age ..
Thanks Ron

[Black Krim]

I'm with you.

My starts didn't appreciate the low light coming in a north window in early December. Got tall very quickly with very thin stem. A few falling over too. Live and learn. Grow lights got dusted off and set up asap. Supported the tilting starts to be upright and now a few weeks later the stems are thick. Seemed to be a light issue. Though I do blow on them...cheap wind.lol

Good luck.

[Black Krim]

Ps. I'm going into winter here in December......and growing indoors , the bathroom .

[murihikukid]

Hi..Thanks for your comment and a Merry Xmas...I have just propagated another lot of seeds.under grow lights....Now some are not that bad and some are weak and some cells?? Well they are a no show...
Lastnight I had to transplant a number cause they were just too tall ....I had a super?? Seeding mix and I mixed it with perlite BUT I really do not know what to do now to get them to develop their stems ...They did not look happy this morning so I gave them some light by way of Fluoro lights (not grow lights) although I could use grow lights if i am advised to do so...I am very wary of using lights as unless I can get them at the right height they will only get spindlier.Cheers Ron

[frankcar1965]

Always too little light and too high a temp, and keep a fan running. Also sometimes I feel that keeping them a little on the dry side helps. And with fluorescent lights you really can't have too much. This only happens with HID lights and then I think, it is actually too high temps.